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Friday, December 30, 2016

Last year I made my first infographic that catalogued some interesting reading stats. I made a new one this year, to look at some of the same things and compare them to how I did last year.

Here it is!

Some interesting facts:

I started and ended this year with Sanderson books, so obviously my year in books was off to a great start and end (Shadows of Self and Arcanum Unbounded, in case you were wondering). I think I have one or two more short stories/novellas to go before I've read everything published in the Cosmere :D

I read more paperback and hardcover books this year because I went to the actual library instead of just conveniently checking out ebooks on my kindle.

Listened to more audiobooks than ever because I listen to them at work, about 1 a week

My average rating last year was 3.905 and this year's was 3.904, and no one star books in either year. Looks like I have a pretty solid idea of which books I'll like before I start reading :)

I read about 1,000 less pages and 5 less books than last year, but I read more big books this year (500+ pages)

I finished my AZ challenge! I'll do a post on that at the beginning of January

I did not end up doing my monthly DiverSFFy posts, and I was only marginally better about being consistent about posting things. But hey, I did do better and next year will be better still! (says the girl planning to start her PhD in the fall...fingers crossed)

Here's to 2017, a bigger and better year for books and everything else in our lives!

Monday, December 5, 2016

Last week was really rough for me. My grandpa passed away. I was really close to him and I was so upset, so that's why the blog has been quiet for the past week. It has been tough, but my friends and family have reached out to me and I've felt very loved and supported, which is so wonderful and comforting during your unhappiest times.

That got me thinking about how books can also be a source of comfort. There have been times in the past few years where I was inexplicably upset, lonely, insecure, or all of the above. Sometimes I was too embarrassed to talk to my friends about how I was feeling, and sometimes I didn't even really know how to talk about it. I found a lot of comfort in books, because sometimes when you read about a character that is struggling with some of the same things you are, you feel less alone and less ashamed of how you feel.

I used to read books because of the clever plot twists or because of the magical sci-fi and fantasy worlds, but now I've started reading because of the characters. I love reading about incredible friendships and seeing how characters grow and overcome their own personal struggles. Some of my favorite books and authors are ones that wrote characters that I identified with or got really attached to: Melina Marchetta, Patrick Ness, Brandon Sanderson, Scott Lynch.

I didn't read that many books this past week, but now that the waves of grief have started to slow down, I'm getting back in the mood for other worlds and other stories. Here's to the books that get you through the tough times in your life!